The article about Elizabeth Bay residents fighting to stop yet more low-cost housing being demolished for fewer luxury apartments highlights one step the state government could and should immediately undertake as a small part of addressing the housing affordability crisis (“Demolition plan for ’60s block sparks mass protest”, June 13). A statewide policy, similar to that on exhibition by the City of Sydney, which bans a reduction in dwelling density on all sites needs to be implemented. It is ridiculous that we are looking to increase density in some areas of Sydney, while other areas with good public infrastructure and access are facing a decline in population density and diversity simply for developers to profit. Gina Hay, Bayview
Housing crisisCredit: John Shakespeare
I doubt the premier’s housing plan envisaged the demolition of 28 smaller relatively low-cost units in Elizabeth Bay and their replacement with 22 large luxurious and costly apartments. However, despite community activism and the council’s refusal of the application, I’m not naive enough to believe the Land and Environment Court will support their action.
This scenario, like so many others throughout NSW, is symptomatic of the way we view housing and community. It’s no longer a home but a property for wealth creation. We laud speculators, actors, influencers and rich-listers for adding another bauble to their bloated property empire. We sanction expensive short-term rentals that deprive essential workers of permanent and affordable accommodation and hollow out established and vibrant communities. What do we really want our communities to be? Peter Singer, Hamilton South
Apart from breaches of floor-space ratio, height, loss of views, landscaping and amenity the design for 22 luxury units in Onslow Avenue, Elizabeth Bay is fundamentally flawed because of its unit mix. Unit mix rules insist on a proportion of one, two and three-bedroom units, providing a diversified urban mix. Clover Moore’s planning rules are not tight enough to stop avaricious development applications and now need reforming. Andrew Woodhouse Potts Point
The redevelopment of sites by rapacious developers is gathering pace in desirable areas of Sydney, particularly the eastern suburbs. For example, the recent approval of the Coogee Bay Hotel site will remove affordable accommodation and overdevelop an iconic site in Sydney. It appears to me that the interests of cashed-up developers are given more heed by the planning authorities than the interests of the communities impacted by these decisions. The state government is paying lip service to their commitment to solve the lack of reasonable accommodation and is beholden to the big end of town that dangles dollars in front of them. Michael Doumani, Randwick
Note to all NSW local governments: the housing crisis will not be solved by tearing down older, smaller unit blocks and replacing them with unaffordable luxury apartments. Kerrie Wehbe, Blacktown
Energy choice for the future is not what is making ordinary people poor and distressed. It is the housing debacle that has changed the face and class structure of Australia. A government which shirks the task of tackling that problem in a truly effective way will miss the opportunity to return Australia to the land of opportunity and upward mobility it once was. Jennifer Briggs, Kilaben Bay
Dutton must realise climate change is happening now
The Coalition’s latest response to the climate change problem is to hope that a cost-free solution will eventually magically appear (“Dutton’s refusal on climate target boosts rivals”, June 13). This approach assumes that climate change will not affect ordinary voters for a couple of decades – or at least a few elections. Wrong. In my Shoalhaven community, climate change is hurting ordinary people right now. The impact of deadly 2019 bushfires that destroyed whole communities along the south coast is still being felt. More recently, torrential rain has washed away roads and other infrastructure stretching the resources of our local council to the limit. Last week, a small but vital bridge near my house was swept away by the latest flood event. It will take at least six months to fix. As a result, thousands of residents around St Georges Basin are being inconvenienced. School children, retirees and tradies are spending hours more getting to their school, their doctor, their supermarket and their customers. All this is happening in the seat of Gilmore that the Coalition hopes to reclaim in 2025. Good luck with that, Peter Dutton. Mike Reddy, Vincentia
Illustration: Matt Golding
In your article, Professor Mark Howden is reported to have said Australia would be in breach of the Paris Agreement if it abandoned the 2030 target and did not have a viable plan to reduce emissions. All signatories to the Paris Agreement, including Australia, must commit to their emissions targets if the world is to avoid life-threatening temperatures, more catastrophic flooding, and longer, more intense droughts. By approving more extraction of gas and mining of coal, the federal government is allowing emissions to increase. Most of this production will be exported, but the end result is increased global atmospheric carbon dioxide, now at a record 418 parts per million, and a faster-warming world. Immediate and stronger action on emissions and global warming is needed. Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin (ACT)
Dutton’s plan to refuse the 2030 climate change target runs the risk of a having a significant “own goal” impact on Australia. Imagine if our export customers introduced a carbon levy on imports for agricultural products as is being discussed in various international trade forums. In one fell swoop Dutton would make Australian agricultural exports more expensive and open the market for our competitors. This would also have knock-on effects across other export industries such as mining and technology where energy is used in production. Our extractive energy companies already receive massive subsidies to drill and dig. Does Dutton expect these subsidies to extend across all our agricultural exports as well? An interesting approach for the “free markets” party of “lower taxes”.
Bernard Stever, Richmond
Someone needs to remind Dutton that the object is to land political blows on the government, not give yourself repeated uppercuts. Mike Kenneally, Manly
Politicians are elected to serve the public, not companies
Do our state MPs and local councillors, in this case Labor, have so little to do in their day jobs, so much time on their hands, and such a great need to top up their inadequate salaries, that they have to take on additional employment (“MPs pocketed $200,000 working for disgraced super fund”, June 12) with additional remuneration of around $100,000 for, presumably, part-time board positions? I’m now waiting for the excuses and the golden handshakes.
There are too many pollies and ex-pollies taking on “jobs for friends” across all fields - super, media and accounting companies, defence industries. Call me cynical. Nell Knight, Avoca Beach
Biden conviction
Your article gives a painful description of the day-to-day drug dance of deceit and destruction that the whole Biden family has lived through (“One thing everyone is missing about Hunter Biden’s case”, June 13). Hats off to a loving father for giving the best and only answers he could give to both questions. That alone should win him a few votes, even if it is playing out in America. Cecily Chittick, Wyong
To the delight of the Republicans, many media seem to be enabling a false equivalence between the Trump conviction and the conviction of Hunter Biden. We may feel sorry for Hunter, or think that he deserved everything he got, but he is not running for president or indeed any kind of political office. End of story. Herman Beyersdorf, Bangalee
The conviction of Hunter Biden for purchasing a gun while being a drug addict has a certain irony. The crime is the drug not the gun. Just another indicator of the direction in which America is headed. Annie Scrivener, St Ives
Gen Z diggers
I can just see the first group of Gen Z troops arriving at their first training camp breakfast (“Want Gen Z to sign up to the army? Give them $50,000 for a house deposit”, June 13). What, no avocado toast and skim soy latte? Heaven help Australia. Graham Lawson, Birchgrove
Switching classes
There is plenty of room for quality teachers from private schools, disgruntled at not being allowed to switch off, to move to great public schools (“Private schools fight to block teacher switched off”, June 13). Teaching is hard enough and all teachers need time to disconnect from the classroom. John Cotterill, Kingsford
Illustration: Cathy WilcoxCredit:
Rental crisis
Your article makes some valid points about rent increases but, in my opinion, misses two important points (“‘No doubt we will see more homelessness’: Rents increase at more than six times the rate of wages”, June 12). According to recent reports, more than 80 per cent of rental property owners are individuals, so-called “mum and dad landlords”. By their very nature, these “mums and dads” are unlikely to be able to absorb significant increased costs and accordingly, the recent large interest rate rises and high inflation necessitates higher rents. Sure, owners are likely to benefit from significant capital growth over the years, but only if they can afford to cover costs simultaneously. If too many “mum and dad landlords” sell up, the rental crisis will only worsen. Karen Long, East Hills
Livid with Vivid
Perhaps Sydney Ferries could also schedule more services in anticipation of massive demand at predictable critical periods during events (“Two dangerous choke points, two near misses. Vivid’s crowd crush problem”, smh.com.au, June 13). A 52-minute wait at 11pm on Sunday evening for another Manly ferry tested the decorum of even the most patient Sydneysiders.
Livid Sydney has lost its glow. Vivid is a victim of its own popularity. Amanda Berry, Hamilton East
As an avid Vivid goer since its inception, I gave up going several years ago now, and unmanageable crowds was the reason (“Punters right to be livid with Vivid”, June 12). How could emergency services respond to a medical emergency if they can’t get through the teeming mobs, let alone something more insidious? And for the last few years before I gave up, people were bringing sleeping babies in prams. Some brought their dogs, who were at knee height and can hardly see colours. I mean, seriously?
Unfortunately, Vivid became a victim of its own success, which is a shame because the light displays are for the most part fantastic. Nick Andrews, Bellevue Hill
Weather change
There seems to be some confusion between the meaning of weather and climate (Letters, June 13). Your correspondent says that it was much hotter when they arrived from the UK and cooler now. It may have been warmer some days in 1982 – that is a change in the weather. The trend has been for each year to be hotter than the previous one – that is a change in the climate. Chris Moe, Bensville
Bank charges
I have been reading for years how businesses routinely pass on their bank credit card charges to customers (“The way you pay is costing you big time. Here’s how to play your cards right”, June 12). Nobody has ever challenged the fact that customers should not be charged the full bank rate. The bank charge is an impost on business that can be claimed back when a proprietor’s tax return is submitted. Customers therefore should only have to pay the bank charge less what the government reimburses the business as a tax write-off. Ray Armstrong, Tweed Heads South
The advice provided in this article recommended paying for goods and services with an alternative account to credit, such as EFTPOS. Doing this regularly also requires some polite assertiveness as it seems to be customary nowadays for retailers, of all stripes, to apply the surcharge regardless. Geoff Orme, Concord West
TV tragic
Rishi Sunak says he regretted missing out on Sky TV (“Sunak blames D-Day
event for holding up TV interview”, June 13). Don’t worry, old chum, you
wouldn’t have missed much. Dave Horsfall, North Gosford
Funny money in Fiddletown
Having confessed to her practice of inadvertently shortchanging various people in her youth, it is to be hoped that your correspondent didn’t choose to live in Fiddletown for the express purpose of perfecting her skills (Letters, June 13)? Cheryl Wilson, Crows Nest
Did the phrase “fiddling the books” originate in Fiddletown? Joy Cooksey, Harrington
I laughed when I read Elizabeth Maher’s letter about her problems with monetary calculations in her youth. I know there’s humour in nominative determinism, but what if the address is funny. Is there a phrase to cover that? Judith Allison, Bexley
Your correspondent’s discomfort appears to be at the lower end of the scale. My brother’s Christmas job was in a fruit shop. Try this typical purchase for mental arithmetic: one pound 12 ounces of fruit at one shilling and 10 pence per pound. He had to rely on an educated guess (probably three shillings and tuppence in this case) and never had a customer complain. Ray Seymour, Castle Hill
Sorry state
I’d like to apologise to my .3 lover (Letters, June 13). I was tired and had far too much to drink. Robert Hickey, Green Point
Maximum age
Reflecting on my stupidity as a teenager and young man I suggest the minimum voting age should not be reduced to 16 but increased to 30 (Letters, June 13). Ian Falconer, Turramurra
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